Vietnam's cooperatives enter a pivotal year: Honoring, connecting and accelerating growth

Speaking at the conference, Chairwoman Cao Xuan Thu Van said that 2026 marks a series of significant milestones, highlighted by the third consecutive “Month of Action for Cooperatives” under the theme “Vietnamese Cooperatives – 80 Years Accompanying the Nation.”

The initiative not only aims to raise awareness of the cooperative movement’s historical development in line with Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, but also to promote Party and State policies, reaffirming the core role of the collective economy in the new context.

Chairwoman of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, Cao Xuan Thu Van, delivers a speech at the conference.

Within the framework of the Month of action, a range of large-scale events will be held, including a seminar on science and technology application, innovation and digital transformation in cooperatives; the third National Cooperative Forum themed “Connecting the Cooperative Economy with the Private Sector Ecosystem”; and a scientific workshop on Ho Chi Minh’s ideology in developing the collective economy.

These events are expected to attract a wide range of policymakers, experts and cooperative stakeholders, serving as platforms for policy dialogue and enhanced collaboration.

In parallel, activities such as product exhibitions, a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s letter calling on landlords and farmers to join agricultural cooperatives, and the award ceremonies for the CoopStar and Mai An Tiem Awards 2026 will be organized.

These are key highlights aimed at honoring exemplary cooperative models and high-quality products. At the local level, Cooperative Alliances in 34 provinces and cities will also implement programs tailored to their specific conditions.

In practice, the collective economy has continued to develop steadily. By the end of 2025, Vietnam had more than 36,000 cooperatives, 153 cooperative unions and over 81,000 cooperative groups, with more than 7.1 million members, creating jobs for approximately 2.7 million workers.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance, Dinh Hong Thai, speaks at the conference.

Average annual revenue reached about VND 3.2 billion per cooperative, with average profits of around VND 255 million, while workers’ income stood at roughly VND 57 million per year.

Notably, the adoption of science and technology, digital transformation and value chain-based production has helped reduce costs by 8–21%, enhancing competitiveness. The sector contributes directly about 4.8% of GDP and indirectly around 30% through household economies of members.

Regarding the CoopStar Awards 2026, Vice Chairman Dinh Hong Thai reported that 29 out of 34 provinces and cities participated, with 177 cooperatives registered. From these, 70 nominees were shortlisted at the central level, and 50 outstanding cooperatives were selected for awards, including 23 agricultural cooperatives, 20 non-agricultural cooperatives and 7 people’s credit funds.

Notably, all 29 participating localities had award-winning representatives, reflecting both widespread participation and improving quality. The honored cooperatives have demonstrated strong performance, pioneering in technology adoption, market expansion and income improvement for members.

For the Mai An Tiem Awards, 28 out of 34 provinces and cities organized provincial-level selections, with 226 products participating. After screening, 74 products were nominated and 50 outstanding products were awarded, including 32 food and beverage products, 9 herbal products, 6 handicrafts and 3 community tourism products.

A total of 26 provinces and cities had winning entries, highlighting both broad engagement and rising quality. Many products have been well-invested in terms of quality, design and traceability, achieving 4–5 star OCOP standards and even reaching export markets.

Overview of the conference.

In addition to honoring 50 outstanding cooperatives and 50 exemplary products, the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance also recognized one organization and one individual nominated for the International Cooperative Alliance Asia-Pacific (ICA-AP) awards. These include Saigon Co.op and Ms. Dao Thanh Hao, Director of Hao Dat Tea Cooperative in Thai Nguyen province.

It can be affirmed that the two award programs serve not only as recognition mechanisms but also as important bridges for trade promotion, product branding and market linkage. They help disseminate effective cooperative models, encourage innovation and elevate the position of the collective economy.

Looking ahead, the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance will continue to play a central role in supporting cooperatives to develop in a modern and sustainable direction, closely linked with digital transformation and value chain integration. At the same time, the awards will be further enhanced in quality, expanded in scale and strengthened in communication efforts, in order to amplify the positive impact of the collective economy in the new development phase.

Vũ Hương - Ảnh: Phạm Hòa